Plamcxmapm co



R. 1. FINKLE.

BUNDLE 0B SHEAF LOADER.

APPucmon man APR. lo, |911.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

a SHEETS-sum1 y 'nin COLUMBIA PLANMIAPM C0.. WASHINn'roN. D. C.

R. 1. FINKLE.

BUNDLE OR SHEAF LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I0, Isn.

Sme/14m 3 SHEETS-SHEET L Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

nlllllllalnnnnnnna.

R. J. FINKLE.

BUNDLE 0H SHEA? LOADER.

APPLxcATloN FILED APR. 1o. 19u.

1,3 1 5,71 3. Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

A rll coLummA PLANQGRAPH m., wAsulNToN, D, c.

:animan J. rnviinn, or GRnnTrAnns, MONTANA.

BUNDLE on SHEAF LOADER.

application nieanprii f1o, `1917'. serial No. 160,998.

To aZZ fui/rom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RntinnN J. FiNnLn1 a citizen olf the United States, residing at Great Falls, in the county ci' Cascade and State of Montana, `have invented` certain new and useful Improvements iu Bundle or Sheat Loaders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a fli'ull., clear, and eXact description or' the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art Ito which it appertains to make and usethe saine.

rlhis invention relates to a loading` device for bundles or sheaves `of grain, andthe primary object or' the `invention is to provide a machine which, upon travel ovei a field of cut anclbound grain, will piek up the bundles or sheaves oi grain, deliver thein to a combined conveyer and elevator which will in turn elevate the sheaves for deposit into a wagon or analogous receptacle.

Another object oi" this invention `is to provide a pick-up structure, which includes a bottom and upstanding sides wliiehtare pivotally connected to the main supporting body of the slieafloader and whichicarryzrd `tary piclcup members and a conveyer which receives the bundles from the pickeup fingers and delivers them to the combined conveyer and elevator` i A further object of this `invention is to provide a pick-'up structure including a plurality of rods `having radially extending tines of shear' engaging fingers carried thereby, which travel in a circular path and are operated through the inediumwoffa channeled cam for `moving the `fingers into a bundle engaging' position `and `during the rotation moving `them out of `a bundle `engaging `position so that they will `release `the bundles -lt'cr permitting the latter to .be

carried upwardlyby the conveyer structure.

A further object of this invention is to provide a gearing structure, for operating the conveyer, Ibyitlie travel of :the bundle loader, which structureis constructed `so as to permit ol" the pivoted movement of the pick-up structure supporting `traine without `disconnecti ng i the operating mechanism so as to allow the picleup structure tomove independent of the main body `olthe loader structure when traveling over uneven places in a field. i

Another object oil? this invention is to `provide a pivotally mounted guard structure which includes `a rock or tpivotally "mounted `shaft having a plurality citarspeeificauen of Lnerereteat.

Patented sept. 9, 1919.

cuate tincs carried `thereby which tines are `curvediand extend over `the delivery end of the elevator.

ll/Vith the foregoing and otherobjects in View, this invention consists in such novel `.i'eatures of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the laccompanying drawings, and claimed.

In describing Jthe invention n detail, reference will be had to the accompanying `drawings wherein like characters designate `.like 1 and corresponding parts throughout `the several views, and in which z `Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved bundle loader; i

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. B'is a cross section on the line 33 of Fig.l;

F'g. 4 is a sectionon `the line 4--3t of Figfl;

Fig. 5 `is an enlarged fragmentary plan of the Lbundle `pick-up mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line (3-6 of Fig. 5, showing the channeled cam forniov.`

ing the picleup lingers into and out of bundle engaging positions;

Fig. is a horizontal section through the machine;

Fig. 58 fis a 'fragmentary elevation 4of the pick-up or yreceiving end of the machine;

Fig. 9 is a detail view illustrating one of the sprockets .employed for operating the pick-up iinechanism; and

Fig.` 10 `is a perspective view of a guide employed for guiding the travel of the upper run of the combined conveyer and elevator so as to maintain part of the saine in a horizontal plane.

. `Referring more particularly to the drawings, "1 designates the main supporting traine of the bundle loader whichV is con- `structed of channel iron or any suitable .material and it has aforwardly extending tongue or arm 2 attached `to the `front end of the same which is braced by suitable braces 3 and has a vertically adjustable swivelly mounted front wheel 4 carried by its iforward end.

i The iframe l is provided With'a cross brace 5 upon which is mounted a bearing. The mainaxle 7 of the loader is rotatably sup- `ported by the bearing' and a bearingS- which is carried by one end ol the frame.

Theshaft has a bull Wheel 9 mounted or `retaining receptacle.

thereon. A sprocket is also mounted upon the shaft 7 and a sprocket chain 11 travels about the sprocket 10 and about a sprocket 12 which is carried by a shaft 13. The shaft 13 extends longitudinally along the front side of the supporting frame and it has a beveled gear 14 mounted thereon which meshes with a second beveled gear 15. The beveled gear 15 is mounted upon a shaft 16 positioned at one end of the supporting frame 1. The endless belt or canvas 17 of the combined conveyer and elevator strueture 18 travels over the roller 16 and the rotation of the shaft 16 by the rotation of the axle 3 provides the necessary power for operating the conveyer and elevator structure.

The belt 17 is of the usual canvas con; struction having a plurality of flights 19 attached thereto at spaced intervals, and the uppermost end of the belt passes over a roller 2O which is supported at the upper end of the supporting and containing frame work 21 of the elevator structure. The supporting and containing` frame work 21 is braced by suitable braces 22 and by its connection with the upstanding guides 23 of the conveyer structure containing `means which are suitably attached to the supporting frame 1. Guards 24 and 25 are attached to the inner surface of the upstanding side plates 23 and these guard structures comprise substantially vertical attaching plates 26 which have plates 27 attached to their `lower edges and extending outwardly at right angles thereto. The ends of the plates 27 are curved as shownat 28 for properly guiding the horizontal runs of the belt 17 so as to maintain the conveyer portions of the combined conveyer and elevator in a horizontal plane` as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The standards 22 project above the frame 21 and they have a rod 30 pivotally carried thereby, which rod has a plurality of tines or fingers 31 attached thereto and extending outwardly therefrom. The outer ends of the rods 31 are curved as shown at 32 so as to extend over the delivery end of the elevator structure 18 so as to prevent the bundles or sheaves of grain from flying over the edge of the frame work 21, properly guiding the` bundles or sheaves to the wagon The yrod is mounted so as to allow free unimpeded movement of the fingers 31.

The bundles or sheaves of grain are deposited upon the horizontal portion of the combined conveyer and elevator, by means of the pick-up structure generically indicated by the numeral 40.V

The pick-up structure includes a retaining and supporting frame 41, which is pivotally connected through the medium of a shaft 42 to plates 43. The plates 43 are in turn connected to the supporting struc ture 1 in any suitable manner and they form bearings for the shaft`13 as well as forming connecting brackets for the structure 41. The shaft 42 has a pair of sprockets 44 mounted thereon, about which the chains 45 of the pick-up conveyer travel. The chains 45 also travel about sprockets 46 which are positioned at the lower outer end of the frame 41.` l

The sprockets 46 have a plurality of openings 47 formed therein through which shafts 48 extend. vThe shafts 48 have a plurality of bundle or sheaf engaging fingers 49 attached thereto in spaced relation and eX- tending radially from the shaft as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 3 of the drawings. The ends of the shafts 48 lwhich extend through the sprockets 46 have rollers 50` positioned upon each side thereof and attached thereto in any suitable manner. The rollers 50 are of substantially equal diameter to the shafts 48 and they, together with the shafts ride in the channels 51 of channeled cams 52 which are secured to the inner surfaces of the sides 41. The channels 51 are provided with enlarged portions 53 which allow the shafts to rotate during their passage about the channels for moving the fingers 49 out of bundles `of `grain which have been previously engaged by the fingers and picked up for deposit upon the conveyer 45 which` elevates the bundles for deposit upon the horizontal conveying portion 17. The enlarged portion 53 is provided with a relatively abrupt shoulder 54 which is designed for makin a quick `upturn to the path for forcing t e fingers 49 into a sheaf or bundle of grain for picking 1t up by the rotation of the cams 46 and the movement of the shafts 48 and fingers 49 therewith.

The shaft 42 has a gear 56 mounted thereon which meshes with a gear 57 that is carried by the shaft 13 and it is through the medium of these gears 56 and 57 that power is transmitted to the shaft 42 for operating the conveyer structure 45. The provision of the gears 56 and 57 allow for pivotal movement of the pick-up structure 40 independent of the main body portion of the bundle loader without disconnecting the shafts 42 -and 13.

Suitable supporting wheels 60 are carried by brackets 61, which brackets are attached to lthe sides -41 near their outer lower ends and a supporting wheel 62 is mounted upon asupporting axle 63., which axle is attached to the under surface .of the frame 1, remote from the bull Wheel 9.

During the travel of the improved bundle loader over a field, the travel of the ends of the shafts 48 within the channels 51 of the cams 52 will move the ngers 49 into bundle engaging positions .so that these lingers will pick up bundles and carry them upwardly and deposit them upon the conveyer structure i5 which conveyer structure will carry the bundles upwardly and deposit them upon the horizontal conveyer portion 17 which will carry the bundles upwardly to the upwardly inclined elevator portion of the combined conveyer and elevator and deliver them from the upper delivery end thereof into any suitable type of wagon or receptacle, as desired.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings the advantages of constructionand of the method oi? operation of the improved bundle or shear loader, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains and, while in the foregoing description, the principle of the operation of this invention has been described together with various `features of construction, it is to be understood that certain minor features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be altered to suit practical conditions provided such alteraV tions are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

lllhat is claimed is In a `bundle loader structure, a supporting frame, a combined conveyer and elevator carried by said supporting frame and comprising a Vhorizontal conveyer portion and an upwardly inclined elevator portion, an auxiliary supporting structure pivotally connected to said iirst mentioned supporting structure, a conveyer carried in said auxiliary supporting structure, means for operating said conveyors, and guides carried by said first mentioned supporting frame ai ranged on each side of the combined conveyer and elevator and includino' a vertical attaching portion and an inwartdly extending horizontal portion having one terminal thereof free and extended beyond the attaclr ing .portion and constituting a resilient engaging means, said engaging means being curved upwardly for engaging the upper run of the combined conveyer and elevator for holding the horizontal conveyer portion and inclined elevating portion in their proper positions, as and tor the purpose specified. In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

REUBEN J. FINKLE. Witnesses:

J. WV. Lnwmmnn, E. H. PAUL.

Copiesiof this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

